


You remind me of the babe

by betsib



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Univere - Labyrinth, Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 09:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1158110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betsib/pseuds/betsib
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now.”<br/>Percy hadn't meant to say the words, hadn't expected anything to happen. Now he was stuck in another world, trying to take back his baby sister from a surprisingly helpful Goblin King.</p>
<p>Labyrinth AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	You remind me of the babe

**Author's Note:**

> I decided not to follow the movie too closely for this AU, partly because it would have been boring and partly because it didn't always fit the characters. Enjoy!

Percy hadn’t expected anything to happen.

Seriously, who would _expect_ something like this? The whole thing was absurd. And definitely not Percy’s fault, because he hadn’t _meant_ it!

It only happened because his mother demanded he’d babysit on a Friday night. He owed it to her, really, she didn’t ask often and she and Paul almost never had a night to themselves, but she could have told him a bit _earlier_ , before he had already made plans with his friends to go see a movie. A movie he had looked forward to for weeks, no less.

Instead he got stuck with his baby sister, who just wouldn’t shut up. Percy had tried singing, holding her, walking around, _everything_. Nothing helped. He was tired and with an increasing headache, and already pissed about missing the movie, so sue him, he had said it.

“I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now.”

It was just something his mother used to say when he was little, how the goblins would come take him away if he wasn’t good. He didn’t even understand where she got that from. And Percy hadn’t meant it. Not even a little bit. He loved the monstrous little scream-machine, really. But off course some higher power had it out for him. 

The moment he said it the room turned dark, and he heard laughter all around him. He tried to get to his sister, to protect her from whatever was happening, but when the lights turned back on and he reached the cradle it was empty. 

“No, please no,” Percy said desperately, “Give her _back_!”

Suddenly the laughter stopped, and the window flew open. A boy looking slightly younger than him was sitting on the window pane, playing lazily with a crystal ball. He had dark curly hair and was dressed in a black cape, looking like some stereotypical vampire. When he turned to look at Percy he saw that his eyes were dark, as well.

“Words are words,” he said. “You can’t just take them back.”

“I didn’t mean it. Of course I didn’t mean it. She’s my sister!” Percy said desperately. “Give her back!”

The laughter started up again behind him, but when Percy turned around, there was no one there. Gritting his teeth angrily, he made and attempt to attack the vampire-boy instead. Percy almost fell out of the open window when the boy suddenly dissolved into thin air. 

“Damn you! I’ll kill you if you don’t give me my sister _now_!” Percy screamed through the window, and a roaring laughter echoed through the room.

“That’s a bit melodramatic, isn’t it?” a voice said from behind him, and Percy turned around to see the vampire-boy standing by the cradle, looking vaguely amused. If Percy hadn’t been so angry he would have pointed out who was really the drama queen here.

“It’s such a pity,” the boy continued. “If you leave the baby with us all your dreams could come true. That’s the usual arrangement.”

“What?” Percy said, and the boy smiled at him, holding out the crystal ball. Percy didn’t trust that smile one bit.

“All you have to do is take this orb,” the boy said. “Don’t worry, nobody will even remember you _had_ a sister. And all your dreams would come true.”

Strangely enough, Percy believed him. It didn’t make him any less angry. “No thanks,” he said coldly. “I just want my sister.”

There were mumbling in the room around them, but the boy kept smiling, throwing the ball from one hand to another. “Are you sure? You’d be throwing away your dreams.”

“She’s my sister. Of course I’m sure,” Percy said determinedly. The fake smile disappeared from the boy’s face, like a salesman realizing Percy wasn’t going to buy. Weirdly enough he almost seemed relieved to be rid of it, and the scowl that followed suited the boy’s face much better. 

“The words were said, you can’t take them back,” he said, putting the orb away, though god only knew where, considering how tight his clothing were. “Reclaiming the baby will be dangerous.”

“I don’t care,” Percy said, lounging out for the boy again, falling down on the floor as he evaporated. The boy reappeared standing above him. 

“Don’t do that again,” he said in a low voice. ”You’re no match for me.”

As if to prove his point, he proceeded to throw a snake in Percy’s face. Percy wasn’t proud of the sound he made before he realized the snake had turned into a scarf on impact.

“What the hell?” Percy exclaimed. “Who are you?”

“Don’t you know?” the boy asked, seemingly surprised by the question.

“Sorry, I don’t keep track of creepy dudes in capes who kidnap babies for sport,” he said. “I actually don’t care who you are. Tell me how I get my sister back.”

The boy nodded. “You’re sister is over there,” he said, pointing towards the window. Percy gasped when he saw that their garden had disappeared and been replaced by a black castle surrounded by some kind of labyrinth. 

“No way,” he said, looking back at the boy. The bedroom had disappeared as well, and they were standing on a hilltop covered in red, dead grass. There was a white, withered tree beside them, where someone had nailed a clock with thirteen numbers.

“If you can reach the throne room of the castle in thirteen hours, I’ll give you your sister back,” the boy said. “If you fail, she will become one of us.”

The ground was suddenly full of the ugliest little creatures Percy had ever seen, running around and laughing at him. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of his sister turning into one of these things.

“Goblins,” Percy said, turning back towards the boy. “I heard a story about this when I was little. You’re the Goblin King.”

“And you are wasting time,” the boy said. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“Never. I’m doing this,” Percy said, determinedly starting to walk towards the labyrinth. “Watch me! I’ll get her back!”

“Good luck,” he heard the boy say behind him. Percy turned around in surprise, but he was already gone. He frowned. The words had sounded surprisingly sincere.

 

Things did not start out well. Half an hour later he was still running around the outer wall of the labyrinth, trying to find a way in. There didn’t seem to be an opening anywhere. For a while he wondered if the boy, the fucking Goblin King, had been screwing with him, but somehow he didn’t think so. Still, the entrance eluded him. The clocks popping up everywhere didn't help, either.

“How the fuck do I get in?” Percy swore loudly.

“Giving up already?” came a voice from behind him, and Percy yelped in surprise.

“Stop doing that! Jeez,” Percy said, turning around to look at the Goblin King. “And no way I’m giving up. I’ve still got over twelve hours left.”

“My mistake,” the boy said, twirling the crystal orb around in his hands. “It seemed like you wanted to stop. I guess looks can be deceiving.”

“What, you’re _watching_ me?” Percy spat. “And here I thought you couldn’t get more creepy.”

“How else am I supposed to know if you decide to give up?” the Goblin King said, frowning angrily. 

“I’m not going to give up, so don’t bother,” Percy scowled, turning his back. “I’ll see you at the castle, and then you’ll give me my sister back.”

“Better hurry up then,” the boy said, and when Percy looked behind him he was gone. Percy turned his attention back at the wall. There had to be a way in. If only he could figure out how. 

Suddenly it dawned on him. Percy’s eyes widened. _Looks can be deceiving_. Experimentally he put a hand on the wall and walked along it, touching it as he did. It didn’t take long before his hand disappeared into what looked like a solid wall. Percy smiled triumphantly as he walked through the concealed opening. He had entered the labyrinth.

Percy kept his hand on the left wall as he started to make his way through the twist and turns of the maze. He wondered if the Goblin King had intentionally given him the clue. It kinda seemed that way, but why? Percy frowned. Maybe he just thought watching Percy get lost in the labyrinth was more interesting than thirteen hours of him trying to run around the place, looking for an entrance. Yeah, that was probably it.

Percy hadn’t been walking long before he reached a dead end, was forced to turn back and realized the labyrinth didn’t look the same anymore. Just to make sure he walked back and forward for a while, counting the turns he took, and sure enough, the labyrinth kept changing.

“That’s not _fair_!” he groaned. How the fuck was he going to get through this if the place kept changing. He didn’t even know in which direction the castle was anymore. Climbing the walls proved futile, and he wondered if the Goblin King was laughing at him when he fell flat on his ass after his third attempt.

However, Percy was not about to give up. He determinedly continued walking forward, figuring that he would eventually end up _somewhere_. A while later he could hear pipe music, and he started running towards it. Maybe there was another human around.

As it turned out, it wasn’t a human. Not from the waist down, anyway. The person sitting by a fountain playing pipes had legs and hooves like a goat, and horns on his head. Percy stared for a moment, then approached, hoping the creature wouldn’t attack him.

“Um, hey,” Percy said awkwardly. “Sorry, do you know the way to the castle?”

The creature startled. He stopped playing and looked down at Percy, curious but not aggressive, thank god. “Why do you want to go to the castle?” he asked. “Nothing grows there, and the goblins generally don’t like humans like yourself.”

“My baby sister is there, I have to go get her.”

“Oh!” The creature said, jumping down from the fountain to get a better look at him. “You said the words, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Percy said. “And the Goblin King gave me thirteen hours to get to the castle, and I have like eleven left. Can you help me?”

“I can take you to Chiron, at least. He’ll know what to do,” the creature said. “I’m Grover, by the way.”

“Percy Jackson,” Percy introduced himself, shaking the creatures hand. “What are you, exactly? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“You’ve never seen a satyr before?” Grover asked, sounding surprised.

“There aren’t really many satyrs in Manhattan,” Percy said, following Grover through the labyrinth. ”How can you find your way through when it changes all the time?”

“It’s not that hard,” Grover laughed. “The trick is not to think about it. The labyrinth will take you where you want to go.”

“Really? That’s awesome,” Percy said. “That makes everything so much easier.”

“The rules may be different closer to the castle, though,” Grover said. “I haven't gone there, because I hate tunnels, but maybe Chiron knows.”

“So you’ve never been to the castle?” Percy asked as they walked, and Grover shook his head.

“Nah, I haven’t been around here long,” he said. “I’m traveling around, and thought I’d stop by the labyrinth. It’s pretty famous.”

“So have you met the Goblin King?”

“I’ve seen him, but we’ve never spoken,” Grover shrugged. “Looks younger than I thought. Less flashy, as well.”

“He was flashy enough,” Percy muttered. They reached a open area in the labyrinth, and Percy almost walked into Grover’s back as he suddenly stopped. In the middle of the area stood a tall, muscular man with a bull’s head.

“I don’t suppose that’s Chiron,” Percy said, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t. The bull man was looking at them angrily, like he was going to attack any second. 

“That’s the Minotaur,” Grover said, his voice shaking. “Please tell me you’re armed.”

“Sorry,” Percy said. “You?”

“Not really.” Grover whispered. “I suggest we back away slowly, and then run. We’ll find another way.”

“I like that plan,” Percy said. They made it about three steps backwards before the Minotaur roared and charged.

“Run!” Grover shouted, and Percy didn’t need to be told twice. He followed Grover through the labyrinth at a neck breaking speed, taking as many turns as possible to shake of the Minotaur. It didn’t seem to be working.

“Let’s split up!” Grover shouted. “We’ll meet by Chiron. The labyrinth will show you the way.”

“Good luck!” Percy shouted, then turned left where Grover had turned right. The Minotaur apparently decided to follow him rather than Grover, and Percy swore under his breath as he ran. He was already getting tired. PE hadn't really prepared him for anything like this.

At long last the Minotaur fell behind, and Percy continued to run for a while before sinking down on the ground breathing heavily. He needed to drink something, and he needed to find Chiron and make sure Grover was okay. Something to defend himself with would have been nice as well.

“Well, that was exciting,” a familiar voice said. Percy scowled as he looked up to see the Goblin King standing over him again.

“Go away,” Percy said. “I’m not giving up.”

“I suspected as much,” the boy said. “Just thought I’d give you the opportunity. Many brave soldiers have lost their lives to the Minotaur, you know. Their remains are still scattered around the Labyrinth.”

“I’m not afraid,” Percy spat. “Go back to your castle, and stay there!”

“As you wish,” the boy said, and was gone. Percy stare angrily at the spot for a few seconds, before rolling through the conversation in his mind again. _Remains_ , Percy thought. _Soldiers._ It was true, he had jumped over a skeleton or two while running. He hadn’t given himself time to check, but some of them might have had weapons.

Carefully he got up and started moving through the labyrinth again, trying to be quiet. It didn’t take long before he stumbled upon the first skeleton, and saw that it had a dusty sword in its hand. Taking it felt kind of wrong, like grave robbing, but Percy needed some form of protection in case he ran into the Minotaur again. The clock on the wall above the skeleton told him he still had ten hours left.

Feeling slightly safer with his sword in hand, Percy looked around, trying to decide which way to go. He needed to get to Chiron, and according to Grover he only needed to follow the labyrinth. It wasn’t in any way logical, but screw it. He was in a magical labyrinth looking for a satyr after being chased by a minotaur to rescue his sister from the Goblin King. Logic must have been on vacation or something.

A while later he reached the wide open area the Minotaur had been in last time, but the creature was nowhere to be seen. Sighing of relief, Percy crossed the area and entered one of the pathway on the other side. After turning a corner he suddenly found himself eye to eye with the beast again.

“Shit,” Percy muttered as the creature roared and charged towards him, horns first. Percy doubted he would be able to get away this time, so he threw himself back around the corner and flattened himself against the wall. When the Minotaur came rushing by, clearly thinking he had continued to run, Percy jumped out and buried his sword into its back. The sword made a horrible wet noise as it slid into the creature's flesh, and the Minotaur roared in pain, swinging out towards Percy one last time as it fell. Percy was thrown backwards against the wall, hitting his head hard. The last thing he saw was a clock on the wall, mercilessly ticking away.

 

When Percy woke up there were two creatures standing above him. One of them was Grover, looking down at him with concern on his face. The other man seemed to have a horse’s body below his waist. A centaur. At least Percy knew what those things were. He assumed this was Chiron.

“What time is it?” Percy asked, sitting up. “I need to get to the castle. Please tell me I still have time.”

“You have about six hours left,” Grover said. “Also quite possibly a concussion. You should stay still.”

“I can’t. My sister needs me,” Percy insisted, looking up at the centaur. “Chiron, right? Grover said you know the way to the castle.”

“That’s correct,” the centaur said. “It was a brave thing you did, defeating the Minotaur. I shall take you as far as the tunnels myself, to save you some of the time you lost.”

With Grover’s help Percy got up on the centaurs back, which was really strange. He had to put his arms around the waist of Chiron’s human torso in order to not fall off. Then Chiron ran through the labyrinth, just slow enough to allow Grover to follow, though Percy would never have kept up at that speed if he had been running. Chiron stopped in front of a high, solid wall with two identical doors standing side by side.

“This is as far as I can go,” Chiron said, as Percy more fell than jumped off his back. “But take my advice: do not trust the Goblin King.”

“Do you know him?” Percy asked, helping a heavily panting Grover to sit down on the ground. 

“I knew his father well,” Chiron said. “I’ve only met this new king briefly, but if he’s anything like his father, he will try to trick you.”

“His father?” Percy repeated. “So he’s actually as young as he seems, then?”

“Indeed. I suspect he’s barely eighty, in human years,” Chiron said, and yeah, that _really_ wasn’t what Percy had meant. “Be on your guard, though. His father only ever allowed two people to reclaim their children. One of them was the boy’s mother. The other was a young girl a bit under twenty years ago, shortly before he retired and passed the crown to his son.”

“Pity I’m not a pretty girl, then,” Percy said. “Anything else I should know?”

“The left door is safer, but the right is quicker,” Chiron said. “I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks, I’m going to need it,” Percy said. “Well, I’m going. Thanks for the help.”

“I’m coming with you,” Grover said, getting up. Percy looked at him in surprise.

“I thought you said you hated tunnels.”

“And the underground in general, yeah,” Grover said. “But you could use the help.”

“Thanks man,” Percy smiled, patting Grover on the back. “Then let’s go.”

“I vote for the safer door,” Grover said, but Percy frowned.

“I lost a lot of time being unconscious,” he said. “Sorry, I’m taking the right.”

“Figures,” Grover muttered, but he followed Percy through the door and into the darkness anyway. They had barely taken three steps forward when the floor suddenly started leaning steeply downwards, and they slid along screaming, quickly losing their balance. When the floor finally turned level again they rolled several feet ahead before they stopped.

“Percy? Are you okay?” Grover groaned somewhere in the darkness, and Percy had to take a moment to check before he answered.

“Yeah, somehow,” he said. “I bet the safer door had a stairwell rather than a slide.” 

“I told you we should have taken it,” Grover said, helping Percy up. “Let’s find a way out of here.”

Percy nodded and looked around. It seemed like they were in some sort of dry sewer system, or maybe a train tunnel, though there were no tracks. Percy had no idea in which direction to go, but Grover didn’t either. For no particular reason they decided to go right. They hadn’t gone far before they heard a voice behind them.

“So you how do you like the labyrinth so far?”

“Why do you keep showing up?” Percy asked angrily as he turned around. The young Goblin King looked completely at home in the darkness, half concealed by shadows. The dark vampire cloak didn’t seem nearly as silly anymore.

“Because it’s entertaining, of course,” the boy said, sounding more concerned than entertained, for some reason. “How’s your head?”

“What do you care? That Minotaur could have killed me!” Percy said. “And your labyrinth sucks, by the way. What kind of maze leads where you _want_ it to?”

“So you find it too easy?” the Goblin King concluded, smiling now. “Let’s make it a bit more challenging then.”

He snapped his fingers, gave Percy an unreadable look and was gone. Far in front of them there was a low rumbling.

“I think we should run,” Grover suggested, sounding frightened. Percy nodded. They had just turned around and started moving back when a giant boulder became visible in the direction they were previously headed. It was rolling towards them, fast. Percy increased his speed, trying to ignore his thumping headache.

“I hate that guy,” he said passionately as they ran past the slide they had entered through and continued on. Thankfully the wall turned sharply soon afterwards, and they narrowly avoided death by boulder by pressing themselves against the wall after the turn. They took a moment to catch their breath, slapping each other on the back and laughing about being alive. 

“Hey, is that a light?” Grover said, looking forward. Percy turned around. It sure seemed like it, and they started walked towards it. “Oh thank the gods. Daylight!”

“Huh,” Percy said thoughtfully. “I guess this was the right way. I wonder how long we’d have been stuck underground if we’d continued the other way.”

"Who'd have thought that boulder could be a good thing?" Grover laughed happily as he walked out into the sunlight.

The tunnel had led them into a forest. It was an unnaturally colorful forest, with red and yellow trees spread out among the bright green ones. Percy almost hoped the Goblin King would turn up again, because his gloomy dark clothes would have looked ridiculous against this background. They made their way forward carefully, fearing what might turn up in the strange place. However, what happened next was too bizarre for either of them to even imagine.

They came into a clearing, where some furry red creatures were flocking a tall, muscular boy, apparently trying to rip his head off.

“Come on, lose yo head!” one of the creatures urged, tugging at the poor boy's ears.

“Why don’t it come off?” another asked, like that was a legitimate question. The boy was crying loudly. 

“Hey, stop that!” Percy yelled, walking up to them and trying to pull one of the creatures away from the boy by grabbing it's feet. The problem was that only the legs came off. Percy yelped in surprise and quickly let go of the detached legs. That question didn’t sound so silly now.

“Hey! What are you doin’?” The creature yelled, making the other ones notice Percy as well.

“Do _his_ head come off?” one of them asked, and Percy decided he didn’t want to wait for them to try. Instead he grabbed the closest one by the ears and, sure enough, the head came off. Percy flung it as far away as he could, and it was protesting loudly to the treatment.

“Grover, give me a hand!” Percy shouted, as he grabbed another one while kicking it’s body away. Soon all of the creatures were wandering around aimlessly and headlessly, and the boy they had been attacking was free. Percy should have been surprised to see the boy only had one large eye in the middle of his face, but at this point he didn’t even flinch. He was starting to feel like nothing could surprise him anymore. 

“Hi, are you okay?” Percy asked, helping the large boy up. “I’m Percy, and this is Grover.”

“Am Tyson. Thanks for the help,” he boy said, smiling shyly at them. 

“Maybe you can help us as well,” Percy said. “We’re looking for the castle. Do you know in which direction it is?”

“Yes, Tyson knows,” he said excitedly. “Will show you. This way.”

“Great,” Percy smiled, getting ready to follow him, but Grover grabbed his arm.

“Wait, Percy,” he said hesitatingly. “That’s a cyclops. They’re untrustworthy.”

“I don’t think he means any harm,” Percy said. “Besides, he’s our only guide.”

He walked up to the tall boy, clapping his back. “Lead on.” he said, and Tyson smiled happily towards him and begun to lead them through the forest.

They felt the stench long before they saw it.

“A swamp,” Grover said, dismayed. “He’s led us to a swamp.”

“Castle is on other side,” Tyson insisted. “We go through.”

“No way,” Grover said. “Percy, it’s madness. We could drown.”

Percy hesitated. “Tyson, do you know a safe path through?”

Tyson hung his head. “Not safe. But castle is on other side.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s not your fault,” Percy said tiredly, looking around the swamp and trying to see a path or something. Then he waited for a moment. Nothing happened. Percy frowned. Wasn’t it high time that bastard showed up to mock them and drop subtle hints? 

“What, are you afraid of me now?” Percy said, looking up at the sky. “Or do you think a little swamp will stop me? You think hiding in your castle will keep you safe from me, is that it?”

Grover and Tyson looked like him like he was crazy, but Percy just waited. One, two, three…

“You’ve got some nerve,” came a familiar, irritated voice behind him, and Percy fought back a triumphant smile as he turned around. The Goblin king was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, scowling at him.

“What are you going to do about it?” Percy teased, hearing Grover gasp behind him.

“Do I need to do anything?” the Goblin King asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve got barely four hours left, and you’re stuck in the swamp. You’re likely going to fail without any interference from me.”

Percy frowned. Was that it? Did he miss something?

“Although,” the king continued. “Since you ask so nicely I suppose I could interfere. One hour less, how does that sound?” He motioned towards a clock hanging on a nearby tree and turned it forward an hour.

“You bastard!” Percy exclaimed. “That’s not fair!”

“Nothing ever is,” the king shrugged. “Time’s running straight ahead. I suggest you do the same.”  
With that he disappeared. Percy let out a frustrated scream. One hour less! How the hell was he supposed to make that, without even knowing how to make it past the swamp? Percy’s eyes widened suddenly. Unless... 

He walked up to the clock and then turned his back on it, looking over the swamp. Percy narrowed his eyes. It was faint, but he thought he could see another round object in the distance, in a straight line with the clock behind him. Percy smiled. Yeah, okay. That was clever.

He took a few experimental steps into the swamp, and found solid ground beneath his feet. It seemed to be working. 

“Follow right behind me,” Percy said to his comrades, then proceeded to walk forward, in a straight line, keeping one clock in front and one behind. Grover slipped off the path once, but Tyson helped him up before Percy even had time to react. He smelled pretty bad, but seemed to warm up to Tyson after that. 

The path through the swamp led straight to the town walls, but they were too high and slippery for Percy to climb. Instead they had to go around a long way before they reached a gate. Percy had only one and a half hour left at that point, and he was starting to feel nervous. 

The gate was open, but guarded. Not by goblins, which would have been preferable, but by the largest dog Percy had ever seen. The beast was looked like a mastiff, but was almost as big as a tank. Percy swallowed. There was no way he was fighting that.

The dog heard them approach, and lifted its head to look at them, growling slightly. Percy backed away slowly, looking around for anything that would help them. Then he laid eyes on a fallen tree just outside the gate. Percy laughed. It was a silly idea, and logically shouldn’t work, but hey. Logic was still lying on a beach in Florida somewhere.

The tree was just small enough for Percy to be able to carry it, after he’d broken some of the branches off. With the tree in his arms he approached the dog again, waving the tree back and forth.

“Here, doggie. Look what I got for you,” Percy said, trying to convince both the dog and himself that he wasn’t scared. “Do you want to play catch, doggie?”

The dog growled at him just long enough to make him think the plan was a failure, then it sat town, wagging its tail and following the tree with its eyes. 

“Here, go get it!” Percy said, throwing the tree as best he could in the opposite direction, and gesticulated for the others to follow his lead and sprint past the dog as it went for the tree. Somehow they actually made it past. Percy heard a whimper behind them when the dog realized they hadn’t stayed to play, and he actually felt bad before he realized he only had an hour to reach his sister.

At least they were finally in the goblin town now, and Percy could actually see the entrance to the castle.

“Come on,” he said, starting to run towards it. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. The streets had been pretty empty, but a lone goblin walking by happened to see them, and gave the loudest yell Percy had ever heard. Immediately goblins started popping out from every door in the city.

“Shit!” Percy swore. “Run!”

They ran for their lives, not so much in the direction of the castle as away from their pursuers. The goblins were shouting “Get them!” and “Don’t let them escape!” from all around them. They rushed into a nearby house and barricaded the door for a moment of safety.

“What do we do?” Grover shouted, and Percy tried his best to think despite the commotion outside.

“I don’t know. We’re trapped,” he said helplessly. “And my time is running out. I need to get to the castle. I can’t let my sister become one of them.”

“Tyson will help,” Tyson said. “Draw attention away.”

“You can’t. They will kill you,” Percy said. Grover sighed behind him.

“Goblins rarely kill anyone,” he said. “And they really don’t like my pipes. I will help him.”

“But...” Percy tried, but they didn’t give him the chance.

“Hide,” Grover ordered. “We’ll draw their attention, and you’ll sneak in when they’re chasing us.”

Percy wanted to protest, but they were both looking at him with determination in their eyes. His shoulder slumped. “Thank you.”

“Hide,” Grover said again, and Percy obeyed. Seconds later Grover and Tyson opened the door, making a lot of noise as they did. The sound that came out of Grover's pipes moments later was indescribable. Percy waited another moment, then sneaked out and sprinted towards the castle, ignoring the ringing in his ears. Thankfully, the gate was open, and Percy reached it just as the screaming behind him told him he had been discovered. He rushed inside the castle before they could catch him.

Percy stopped dead, staring at the sight in front of him. It was a room full of stairs, stairs going in every direction. None of them seemed to be leading anywhere. Percy didn’t understand the point of that.

On the other side of the room he saw his baby sister, Lucy, crawling down a stairwell, with at least a twenty feet fall underneath it, not to mention the black emptiness underneath _that_. Percy screamed loudly as she went over the edge, but miraculously, she didn’t fall. She kept on crawling, first vertically, then completely upside down, like her gravity had been reversed. Percy tried to get close to her, but the stairs were confusing and he was pretty sure _he_ would fall right off and break his neck if he went over the edge.

“Ten minutes left,” the Goblin King’s voice said. “Think you can get to her in time?”

Percy turned around to shout at him, but instead he yelped when he saw him, standing upside down on a staircase not too far from him. For once he wasn’t wearing his cape, but he still looked more like a vampire than ever.

“I’ll get her,” Percy said, turning his gaze back towards his sister.

“Better hurry.”

Percy did his best to get closer, balancing on the edge of one staircase and jumping to the next. He narrowly avoided falling.

“Careful,” the Goblin King said, standing upside down on the other side of the platform Percy had landed on. ”Or you will pummel to your death.”

“You’re not helping,” Percy said, then shouted in surprise as the king walked around the edge of the platform, suddenly standing on Percy’s side. 

“I’m not trying to help,” he said. Percy scowled.

“Of course not,” Percy said, turning his back and concentrating on getting to Lucy. She had crawled closer, and if he stretched out he should be able to reach her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the king said, and Percy almost laughed at him.

“You’ve been helping me from the beginning,” Percy said, walking as close to the edge of the platform as he dared. “Though I don’t know why. I wouldn’t have made it here without you.”

He stretched up towards Lucy, trying to keep his balance. Just a little further…

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the Goblin King said stubbornly.

Percy ignored him. He almost got her now. He reached a little further. Almost, almost... _There!_  
Triumphantly he grabbed a hold of his sister and brought her down, which caused him to slip and lose his balance, falling over the edge. He narrowly missed breaking his neck on the stairs beneath him, but it was a small comfort as they were falling to their death anyway.

Suddenly he wasn’t falling anymore. He was standing in a ridiculously bright room, with white curtains flowing all around it. Lucy was still in his arms. He would have asked if it was heaven, if the dark clad Goblin king hadn’t been standing in front of him.

“I didn’t die?” Percy asked stupidly, and the Goblin King gave him an amused smile. _Huh._ That was different.

“No, you reached your sister and won,” he said. “With a whole thirty seconds to spare.”

Percy scowled. “I would have had a whole hour if you hadn’t cut the time,” he said. “That was a dick move, by the way.”

“Was it?” the Goblin King said, raising his eyebrows.

“Fine, okay. Thank you for helping me,” Percy said. “But seriously, you could have just handed me Lucy back in the first place if you wanted me to succeed.”

“That’s not how this works. There are rules,” the king said. “So don’t go babbling that I helped you. I will deny it, and you will find snakes in your cereal.”

Percy laughed. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” he said, then frowned. “What will happen to Tyson and Grover?”

“I believe they are in prison,” the king said. “I was planning on sending them away with a warning, but I could have them brought up here first if you want to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Percy repeated stupidly. The king frowned at him.

“I assumed you’d want to return home with your sister,” he said, and Percy nodded.

“Right, yes. I would like to say goodbye.”

The king disappeared, and a while later Percy heard commotion in the stairwell, and Grover and Tyson came in, laughing and hugging him. They looked a little beat up, but no worse for the wear.

“You did it!” Grover sang. “You beat the Goblin King!”

“I did, thanks to you two,” Percy smiled.

They were sad to hear he was going home, and the goodbye was a little more emotional than Percy would have thought, considering he had only known these two for a day. He was going to miss them, though. A guard came to collect them, to send them on their way, and they hugged him one final time before leaving Percy alone in the tower. Well, not exactly alone.

“Ready to go home?”

Percy smiled. “One last thing,” he said, turning towards the Goblin King. “What’s your name?”

The boy blinked, looking shocked at the question. “Nico,” he said finally.

“Really?” Percy laughed. “Nico the Goblin King?”

“My father was the real Goblin King, before he stuck the title on me and ran off,” the boy, Nico, said sourly. “It’s not funny.”

“It is a little funny,” Percy said. “Right. I’m ready to go.”

“Then this is goodbye,” Nico said with a sad smile. Percy was about to answer, but the world turned inside out and he lost consciousness.

 

He woke up on the carpet in Lucy’s room. His sister was making noises in the cradle, not exactly crying, and Percy went over there and lifted her up into his arms. She laughed happily towards him. Percy could hear the door open downstairs, and his mother’s voice shouting “We’re home.” For a moment he was confused, then he realized time must have flown differently for them than for his mother. If he hadn’t just been unconscious on the carpet the whole time and dreamed everything up.

“Did everything go well?” his mother asked as she entered the room. Percy smiled.

“Not everything,” Percy said, handing Lucy over to her. “But surprisingly enough, everything turned out okay in the end.”

His mother laughed. “It usually does.”

Percy suspected most stories would have ended it on that note, with him unsure of the truth of his adventure, while showing a last shot of Nico’s smiling face in his window or something. However, for Percy the story continued. He went to school, hung out with his friends, didn’t do his homework, all the usual stuff. He wasn’t sure if the strange things he had experienced were real, in fact he was beginning to suspect they weren’t, but he couldn’t forget them. That last, genuine smile Nico had given him stood out among his memories, and he didn’t _want_ to forget it.

During the next few weeks he started to see things in the corner of his eyes, like someone watching him. At first he tried to ignore it, but the feeling didn’t go away. And if it was true that someone was stalking him, there really was only one person to suspect. When Percy came home, he checked that he was alone in the house, then went into his room and closed the door.

“I know you’re there, Nico,” Percy said loudly. “Show yourself. This is getting creepy.”

For a moment nothing happened, and Percy almost thought he’d been mistaken.

“Sorry,” came a soft voice from behind him. Percy smiled and rolled his eyes as he turned around. Nico was standing in his room, not wearing his cape. His clothing was too tight to be healthy. Really though, he was too skinny to be healthy as well. Didn’t the goblins feed him? It was hard to believe the tiny boy could be as powerful as Percy knew he was.

“Dude, do you know what a stalker is?” Percy asked. “It’s not cool.”

“I just wanted to check up on you,” Nico said. “I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”

“Actually, seeing you is a relief,” Percy said, sitting down on his bed. “At least now I know I wasn’t dreaming.”

“It’s because of the time change,” Nico said. “It makes the experience seem like a dream for most mortals.”

“Mortals,” Percy repeated. “I’ve been meaning to ask. How old are you, anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” Nico said uncomfortably. “I was born in 1929, but I started living in my father’s realm after my mother died, when I was ten. I’ve aged roughly four-five years since then.”

“Wow,” Percy laughed. “You’re an old man.”

“I’m not,” Nico scowled. “I told you. Time moves differently there.”

“Right,” Percy said, being silent for a second. “Hey, why did you help me get my sister back?”

Nico sighed, sitting down beside him. “Because you _wanted_ her back,” he said. “Of course I had to help you.”

“That’s it?” Percy asked in disbelief. Nico smiled sadly.

“I haven’t been the Goblin King for long, but I’ve watched my father for a while, even if I ran off on my own quite a lot,” Nico said. “There aren’t many who regret the words, and fewer still who don’t choose their own dreams above their children.”

“Really?” Percy asked. “I said the words by mistake. Surely that happens a lot.”

“ _I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now_ ,” Nico quoted. “It’s pretty specific. Few people say it by accident. You’re the first I’ve met personally.”

“So people actually willingly trade their children for their dreams,” Percy said. “That’s sick!”

Nico nodded. “It’s more common than you think,” he said. “We don’t just kidnap children for the fun of it, you know. They are happier as goblins than they would have been with the parents who sold them. And the dreams never turn out as the parents want, anyway. It’s a punishment.”

Percy shivered. “I don’t think I need to hear more about it,” he said. “So you’re saying you helped me because I turned your offer down.”

“Pretty much. But like I said, there are rules,” Nico said. “You had to complete the trials yourself, to prove yourself worthy. I helped as much as I dared to.”

“The rolling boulder was a bit overkill,” Percy pointed out, and Nico laughed. He had a clear, melodious laugh that was incredibly contagious. Percy found himself smiling.

“I wasn’t going to let it hit either of you,” Nico said. “I admit it wasn’t the most subtle plan, but you were heading in the wrong direction and it would have taken you hours to get out of there. I had to get you turned around quickly.”

“And the Minotaur? He almost killed me.”

“He wasn’t part of the plan. I had forgotten he was around,” Nico said. “But once the trial started I couldn’t do anything about him, other than point you in the direction of some weapons. I’m glad you killed him.”

“Yeah, me too,” Percy said. “What about the large dog?”

“Mrs. O’Leary?” Nico laughed. “She wouldn’t hurt a fly, unless provoked. And if you had hurt her, you would automatically have failed.”

“So none of it was as dangerous as it seemed?” Percy concluded. “Gee, thanks for bursting my bubble. My pride is hurt.”

“Don’t be stupid. It was exactly as dangerous as it seemed,” Nico scowled. “I’m honestly surprised you made it through, even with my help.” 

“So I can go around and think myself a hero?” Percy asked jokingly, but Nico looked serious as he nodded.

“You are,” he said, blushing slightly. “Not many would go through that much trouble for a baby.”

“If you think that, you must not be meeting the right people,” Percy smiled. “Every single one of my friends would do the same thing.”

“Then you’re lucky,” Nico said, smiling sadly as he got up from the bed. “I should get back.”

“Stop stalking me,” Percy said. “And come hang out instead. Anytime.”

“I might just do that,” Nico said, then disappeared.

 

Nico came by almost every night after that. Percy had a feeling the boy was lonely. He didn’t mind the company, though. He still saw his other friends as well, but he kept most of his nights free to hang out with Nico. Leo was teasing him about having a secret girlfriend, but Percy ignored him.

On a night about two weeks after the first time Nico arrived later than usual. Percy had managed to get all his homework done while waiting for him and was sitting by his desk, aimlessly surfing the internet. He immediately noticed the slight shift in the air that meant Nico was there. Percy turned around, smiling.

“Hey. I was beginning to think you weren’t com...,” Percy said, but trailed off as he took in the Goblin King’s appearance. He was wearing his cape again, like on the first night Percy had ever seen him. The circles under his eyes were darker than usual, and his face held an almost hunted expression.

“What happened?” Percy asked, walking over to him and putting a hand on his arm. Nico immediately swatted the hand away.

“Nothing new,” Nico answered bitterly. “A greedy father, selling his child for riches. His wife didn’t even know.”

“What?” Percy said, staring at him. “How could you make a deal with someone like that?”

“I don’t have a choice!” Nico said angrily. “The words were said, and they bind me as much as the person speaking. The only thing I _can_ do is make sure he regrets it for the rest of his life.”

“But what about the mother?” Percy asked. “ _She_ didn’t sell her child.”

“Anyone in charge of a child can sell him, or her,” Nico said. “You were just babysitting your sister, but it worked anyway, remember?”

“But… can’t you give the child back to the mother?” Percy asked.

“She doesn’t remember ever having a child. It’s part of the magic,” Nico said. “It’s the way it’s always been. I can’t change the rules.”

“Then leave!” Percy said angrily. Nico looked hurt for a moment, then nodded and took a step back. Percy managed to grab him before he disappeared. “Not from here, you idiot. Leave the throne. Who needs a Goblin King?”

Nico looked relieved for a moment, then frowned. “The goblins do. That land would literally fall into darkness without a ruler. And the goblins themselves can’t hold the throne. They would do anything to get new brothers and sisters, and wouldn’t even punish the parents. It would be chaos.”

Nico took a deep breath. “Besides, there has always been a Goblin King. I swore the oath. I can’t just leave.”

“Your father did,” Percy pointed out. He pulled the boy down to sit on the bed with him. Nico seemed a bit uncomfortable, but didn't protest.

“He had me to replace him. I don’t have anyone like that,” Nico said, sighing. “And to be honest I wouldn’t wish this job on anyone. No wonder father went crazy in the end.”

“You’ll figure something out,” Percy said, reassuringly putting an arm around him. “It’ll be okay.”

Nico tensed at the touch, then seemed to relax a bit, leaning into it. “I hate it,” he confessed. “And I have nobody to talk to.”

“I’m here,” Percy said, pulling him a bit closer. “I may not understand, exactly, but you can talk to me.”

“I know. Thank you,” Nico smiled, resting his head on Percy’s shoulder. They sat like that for a while.

“It’s getting late,” Percy finally said. “Do you want to spend the night?”

“That would be a bad idea,” Nico said, sitting up straight again.

“I’m sure the goblins can handle themselves for one night,” Percy smiled, but Nico shook his head.

“It‘s not that. I have to go.”

He made an attempt to get up, but Percy didn’t let go, and pulled him down again. “What are you talking about?” he asked. Nico’s face was suddenly bright red.

“Let go of me,” he said. “I need to get back.”

“Why so suddenly?” Percy asked. ”Did I do something?”

“That’s not...” Nico said, trying to pull away again, but Percy pulled him tighter instead, not giving up so easily. Suddenly they were way closer than they had been before, and their eyes met. Then Nico’s lips were on Percy’s.

Percy blinked, unable to react. His brain had barely started to comprehend the fact that Nico was _kissing_ him when the boy pulled back so suddenly he stumbled and fell off Percy’s bed. In any other situation it would have been comical, but there was nothing funny about Nico’s mortified expression.

“Shit! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean...” he said, sounding panicked as he scrambled to his feet. “I’m so sorry.”

Percy realized too late was Nico was about to do. “Wait!” Percy shouted, his paralysis broken as he threw himself after the Goblin King, but his hand only caught air. Percy swore so loudly his mother came to check up on him moments later.

Percy lay awake that night, thinking about Nico. The boy had kissed him, and Percy wasn’t sure what to do about that. On the one hand, Nico was the Goblin King, worked in the baby trading business and threw snakes at people. On the other hand, Percy really liked him. Nico was smart and funny, and tried his best to be a decent person despite his title and his job. Percy enjoyed hanging out with him, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.

Except that Nico had kissed him. Apparently it was more than just friendship for him. Percy sighed and rolled on his side in the bed. He didn’t know what he felt towards the boy. He almost wished the kiss could have continued a bit longer so he could figure his feelings out.

Nico didn’t turn up the next night, or the night following. Percy was getting increasingly frustrated, because he really, really needed to talk to him and sort this out. His friends at school seemed to be under the impression that his mystery girlfriend had dumped him, and they left him alone. Percy wondered what they would have thought if they knew about Nico, and that the situation was pretty much the opposite of what they thought.

When weekend rolled around and there still was no sign of Nico, Percy lost his patience. He had tried talking to the air in the days prior, but to no avail. He had even briefly considered saying the words, but he couldn’t risk Lucy getting in danger again. Instead he told his mother he had a headache and was going to bed in the middle of the day. He closed the door to his room and put a chair below the handle, so he wouldn’t be disturbed. Then he lay down on the bed, closed his eyes and _concentrated_.

He had no idea if it would work, but he had to believe it was possible to enter the labyrinth again. He followed the rules of the labyrinth itself, concentrating hard on the goal, the Goblin Castle, but ignoring the hows and whats of the journey. He tried to envision it, the tower he’d been saying goodbye to his friends in, the bright light from the large windows, the flowing white curtains, Nico’s sad smile the moment before he sent Percy back home. He got stuck on imagining Nico’s dark eyes, and sighed. This wasn’t going to work. Percy sat up.

And blinked. Then he smiled triumphantly. He was sitting on the floor in the room with the flowing curtains. He was back in the Goblin Castle. Which meant Nico was nearby.

Percy got up from the floor and looked around. There were two ways out of the room; one staircase leading up and another leading down. He was just about to head down when he changed his mind, turned around, and walked up instead. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew, somehow, that this was the right way.

The stairs led to a large wooden door, and Percy carefully pushed it open. On the other side was a sparsely decorated room, with dark curtains hanging on the wall and a desk with a few candles on it standing beside a small wooden drawer. The only other furniture was the large bed in the middle of the room. Percy walked closer, and his breath hitched.

Nico was asleep on the bed, tangled in the black sheets like he had tossed and turned a lot. His hair was an adorable mess, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Percy wondered if he slept in the nude. The thought was strangely intriguing. 

Percy stood watching the boy sleep for a while, before he realized he was being creepy. Oh, well, it wasn’t like Nico had never spied on him, and the sleeping boy was surely a sight to behold. Percy had never thought of Nico as physically attractive before, but right then, he was _beautiful_.

Percy walked over and sat down on the bed. Nico didn’t wake up. At first Percy figured he would shake him awake or something, then he hesitated. This was basically a fairytale, right? Only one thing to do then.

Percy leaned down over Nico and pushed their lips together.

For a while he stayed like that, contemplating what he was feeling, then Nico stated responding. Percy grinned into his mouth, coming to the conclusion that yes, this was something he wanted. He deepened the kiss, reveling in the sensation before Nico suddenly opened his eyes and bit Percy’s tongue.

“Ow, that hurt,” Percy complained as he pulled back. Nico sat up, looking at him with a wild mixtures of emotions on his face. There was hurt, fear, longing and embarrassment, but mostly he seemed angry.

“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.

“I was kissing you, obviously.” Percy said. “Did you have to bite me?”

“How did you even get here?” Nico said, ignoring his complaints. Percy shrugged.

“I concentrated really hard,” he said dismissively. “Why? You're saying it’s okay for you to pop in and kiss people but not for me?” 

Nico blushed at that. “I didn’t...” he spluttered. “That wasn’t...”

“Wasn’t what?” Percy asked. “Wasn’t what I thought it was? ‘Cause it kind of seemed to me like you have a crush on me?”

Nico looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry. I never meant for you to find out.”

“Why not?” Percy asked. “You didn’t think I’d be angry or something, did you?”

“Of course I did,” Nico said. “Aren’t you?”

“Did you miss the part when I kissed you just now?” Percy smiled, rolling his eyes. “I’m not angry, except about the fact that you ran away and didn’t come back.”

“I’m sorry,” Nico said again. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“Fortunately, I have a few ideas,” Percy smiled, reaching out to run his fingers through Nico’s messy hair. “See, I think I like you too. Would you mind if kissed you again?”

Nico stared at him, wide eyed. Percy chuckled as he leaned in again, slowly enough Nico had plenty of time to push him away if he wanted to. He didn’t. Instead he kissed back the moment their lips crashed together. Percy was slightly overwhelmed by the sudden eagerness of the kiss, but he didn’t mind. Nico had clearly wanted to do this for a while, and Percy was more than happy to oblige. He experimentally ran his hands over Nico’s naked chest, and felt Nico shiver against him. When they finally parted, he looked adorably hopeful, and Percy smiled at him.

“Yeah, I definitely like you,” Percy said, pulling him closer to kiss Nico’s neck. “But no more running away, okay?”

“Okay,” Nico said breathlessly, gasping as Percy sucked his skin hard enough to leave a hickey. Percy could feel Nico’s hands finding their way underneath his shirt, and figured it would be fairer to just take it off. He unceremoniously threw the shirt on the floor, chuckling at the way Nico was eyeing his naked chest. 

“Good thing that boulder didn’t crush me, right?” Percy said, and Nico scowled.

“I told you I wasn’t going to let it hit you,” he said irritatedly. Percy laughed as he gently pushed Nico down, placing himself on top of him as he placed kisses on his bare stomach.

“I’m just teasing you,” Percy said, and Nico moaned as he circled his tongue around his belly button.

“That better not be the only thing you’re doing,” Nico groaned. Percy grinned as he stepped off Nico, in order to get under the sheets that had effectively created a barrier between them until now. He was a bit disappointed to find that Nico was in fact wearing some kind of pajama pants. Nico was on him before he had managed to settle properly, effectively reversing their earlier positions. He leaned down to kiss him, fiercely and desperately and Percy really needed to consider wearing looser pants in the future, because this was getting increasingly uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Nico seemed to realize the problem, as Percy felt his hands reach down and open Percy's jeans, slowly bringing them downwards. Percy managed to sit up while Nico was distracted, pulling him into another sloppy kiss, while easily sliding the pajama pants down his ass. Nico gasped into his mouth as Percy took a hold of him as started to stroke, but moments later he felt Nico do the same for him. They easily matched each other’s pace, breathing heavily and keeping eye contact through half closed lids. Percy was happy that Nico came before he did, because the expression of complete pleasure on his face was enough to send Percy over the edge.

Afterwards they just held each other tightly for a long time, trying to catch their breath. Nico was still sitting in Percy’s lap, and Percy’s legs were starting to fall asleep, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I should be getting up,” Nico mumbled after a while. “I have duties. Someone will come looking for me soon.”

“Let them look. Turn them into frogs or something,” Percy said into Nico’s neck. “I don’t want to move.”

Nico laughed, lazily running his fingers through Percy’s hair. “You’ll have to, soon,” he said. “I suspect you’ll want to go back to your world, as well.”

“About that,” Percy said. “I’m not going to wake up in my bed having jizzed my pants and thinking this was a wet dream, will I?”

“That’s the way it works,” Nico said, sounding amused. “But I suppose I could turn up later to convince you otherwise.”

“You better,” Percy said. “Or I’ll come kiss you in your sleep again.”

“That’s not much of a threat,” Nico chuckled. “You’re welcome to do that anytime.”

“Still, you have to come visit me as well,” Percy said, leaning down to kiss his eyelid. “Tonight.”

Nico nodded, giving him a brief kiss before reluctantly letting him go and got up from the bed. Percy remained where he was, admiring the view. Then suddenly he burst out laughing. Nico looked around at him, confused.

“Sorry, something just hit me,” Percy said. “My friends have been teasing me about having a secret lover for weeks. I guess they were right, huh?”

Nico gave him an amused smile. “Are we lovers?” he asked.

“I think so, yeah,” Percy said. “Unless you don’t want to be?”

Nico walked over to kiss him again, deeply, and Percy was just about to ask if he was sure he didn’t have more time when there was a knock on the door. Nico sighed and pulled back, suddenly fully clothed, cape and all.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he smiled, and Percy’s head spun.

 

He woke up is his own bed again. His pants were wet and sticky. However, his shirt was nowhere to be seen, and the hickeys on his flesh was enough to convince him it hadn’t been a dream. Still, having Nico turn up to confirm it later would be nice.

Percy smiled as he got up from the bed and took off his ruined jeans. None of his friends would believe this if he told them. Let them continue with the “secret lover”-angle. For now, at least, Percy was okay with being the only one to know.

_My lover is the Goblin King._

Percy laughed to himself. His life had somehow turned into a fairy tale. He doubted it would last ever after, but for now, he was happy.

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated!


End file.
